This invention relates generally to printed circuit board connectors and more particularly to improved mounting means for receiving electrical contact members in such connectors.
Typically, screw machine contact assemblies used in high reliability military printed circuit board connectors and the like are mounted in openings in insulating connector bodies and are retained in those openings by individual metal c-clips. The connectors are mounted in a circuit board with contact member posts extending from the connector body and fitted into corresponding openings in the circuit board and soldered to circuit paths on the circuit board. The cost of fabricating and assembling these numerous tiny clips adds significantly to the total connector manufacturing cost and the clips tend to be difficult to remove when replacement of a contact member soldered on a circuit board system is required.
Epoxy has also been used to retain the individual contact assemblies; however, placement of epoxy and the time required for curing involved in this approach not only add significantly to the total manufacturing cost, also effectively precludes individual contact replacement.
Another approach has been to capture the contact assemblies in the opening by staking, that is, by permanently deforming the body into the opening; however, this leaves the insulating body under stress that can lead to cracks during environmental exposure over time.
Yet another approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,278, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In that patent a plate having a plurality of protuberances formed therein is disposed over a side wall of the connector body with the protuberances fitted into the terminal entry portions of the contacts for spacing movably mounted contacts relative to each other in the connector body openings. A polyamide tape is adhesively and detachably secured to the body over the plate for holding the plate on the body. The contact posts are inserted into corresponding openings in a circuit board and soldered to circuit paths on the board. The tape is then detached and the plate removed for permitting insertion of component terminals into the terminal entry portions of the connector contact assemblies for mounting the component on the connector. While this approach is very effective it still involves undesirable manufacturing cost due to the use of the plate and tape.